Showing posts with label Tuesday Weld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuesday Weld. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2009

Tuesday Weld ~ Lord Love a Duck (1966)



This is one bizarre film. There is no other way around it, this film is very weird. And if you hear Tuesday Weld stars as Barbara Ann, a high school teen that aspires to be a movie star. She was named after Barbara Stanwyck and Ann Sheridan. Her mother, Marie (Lola Albright) is a cocktail waitress who has a drunken penchant of taking her customers home with her. Barbara Ann meets Mollymauk (Roddy McDowell) another high school student who seems to know everything about Barbara before they even met. In the beginning of the film we learn that Mollymauk (Alan or the "duck" referred to in the title) is mentally insane. Great! Mollymauk/Alan/duck follows around Barbara Ann trying to make all her wishes come true. She wants 12 cashmere sweaters, he convinces her to put a guilt trip on her estranged father to get them. She wants to get married to a rich man, he works that out for her. But every step of the way, Mollymauk/Alan/duck makes sure that all her granted wishes turn awry. This is when the movie really gets dark with suicide and attempted murder.

From what I understand, this film is supposed to be a spoof but I didn't find it very funny. Especially the darker parts towards the end seemed disturbing, even if they were ridiculous. This film pokes fun at bikini movies, high school, teenage-parent relationships in the 1960s, the movie industry, American culture (drive-in church?!) etc. It's an interesting satire but I can't say that I enjoyed this film. It may be too late in the decade. I seem to gravitate more towards the earlier half of the 1960s when films are becoming more experimental but haven't reached the state of utter bizareness!

One reviewer said that Tuesday Weld was very Tuesday Weld-ish in this film. However, this is only my second Tuesday Weld film so I'm not very sure what Tuesday Weld-ish means. She is very cute, pixie-ish and vibrant in the film and these qualities are what draw me to her as an actress. Please enjoy some screenshots of the lovely Tuesday Weld.









Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Tuesday Weld ~ I'll Take Sweden (1965) ja ja ja





On the surface I'll Take Sweden (1965) is your typical teen vs. parent '60s comedy. Yet on a deeper level this film is representative of the changing sexual mores in society, especially when it comes to youth sexuality, and how that was affecting American culture. What's interesting about I'll Take Sweden is that we get to see how Americans treat sexuality and how that differs from the looser Swedish sexuality (or at least the Swedish stereotype).

Bob Hope stars as widower Bob Holcomb who is dealing with his teenage daughter JoJo's budding sexuality. Tuesday Weld plays JoJo and her petite frame, blonde locks and little girl voice make her a sort of an alternate Sandra Dee. JoJo is head over heels for Kenny (Frankie Avalon) a young ne'er-do-well who plays the guitar, rides his motorcycle dangerously and lives in a trailer. Not quite what JoJo's father expected for her daughter's future husband. In an effort to get his daughter to give up Kenny, he whisks her off to Sweden. At the Stockholm branch of his work, is womanizer Erik who immediately sets his hooks on JoJo. In the meantime, Bob is falling in love with beautiful divorcee Karin, an interior decorator.

I could go into a full summary of the movie but I won't because I'd rather you watch the film instead. The most interesting aspect of this film is the clashing ideas of sexuality. Bob doesn't think JoJo should go off to a youth retreat alone with Erik because they are unmarried yet Bob has no qualms of taking his girlfriend Karin on a romantic outing. Also, it's made very clear that the Swedes have little interest in marriage and are okay with premarital sex. I know that the Swedes have a less Puritanical view on sexuality than Americans do, but this film is obviously playing up on stereotypes for the humor factor. No matter how exaggerated it is, it's still a nice insight into the sexual dilemma of the 1960s.

And it's got Tuesday Weld in awesome outfits!!!





Monday, October 5, 2009

Tuesday Weld is the new Pamela Tiffin

Remember back in the earlier part of the year I had a strange fascination with '60s actress Pamela Tiffin? Of course not. So you should take a moment to look through my archives and readed the series I did for her. Currently I seem to be leaning towards the lovely Tuesday Weld. Stay tuned for all things Weld in this space!

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